How many gallons of paint would it take to paint the exterior of a 4059 square foot home?

Edit:

Square footage of the house's floor space (ie - an "1150 sq ft house") is not enough information. First you need to determine the square footage of the wall surface and any other surfaces you are going to paint (walls, trim, Windows, etc..):

(BTW the single cans of paint I deal with only cover 400 square feet of wall space, not 800! So check your paint can and adjust the math accordingly)

Original answer:

one gallon will cover 800 square feet of wall space. Consider this; are you covering a light color with a dark color or vice versa. Dark colors tend to take at least 2 coats.

Here is a formula:

1. Add together the length of each wall.

[wall] + [wall]+ [wall] +[wall] = wall length For example, 16 + 16 + 20 + 20 = 72 feet.

1. Multiply the total length of walls by the total height.

72 feet x 9 feet = 648 square feet

1. Subtract 20 square feet per door and 15 square feet per window.

[wall] - [door]- [window] = square footage For example, 648 - 20 - 20 - 20 - 15 - 15 - 15 - 15 = 528 square feet.

1. Divide the answer by 350 (the estimated coverage/gallon) for smooth walls; or divide by 300 for rough or textured walls, which soak up more paint.

[square footage] ÷ 350 = 1.5 gallons for smooth walls per coat For example, 528 ÷ 350 = 1.5 gallons for smooth walls and 528 ÷ 300 = 1.76 gallons for rough/textured walls.

1. Add 10 percent for waste.

1.428 x .10 = 0.1428 1.428 + 0.1428 = 1.57or 2 gallons for each coat of paint. Between paint drying in the pan and mistakes along the way, you'll want to have this 10 percent cushion. After all, you don't want to run out.